so i got an acoustic for christmas
 

and have no idea how to play it.
its one of those beginners guitars
and even comes with a cd givin me the basics

how hard will it be for me to teach myself to play?
and do you have any tips for me?

It will be hard as hell to be honest. But there is hope. Befriend someone that plays guitar and just ask them loads and loads of questions. Also you picked a bad time to start playing guitar because you cannot look at tabs anymore :(. But keep trooping and I suggest buying a beginner's book that shows you how to play chords and scales. Then come up with your own stuff. Oh and buy a metronome and use it when ever you practice. Because being in time will make a world of difference when you get into hard things to play.

Learn to read tabs and start playing stuff slow then gradually speed up some basic riffs would be


White Stripes "Seven Nation Army"
White Stripes "Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground"
Deep Purple "Smoke On The Water"
Blink 182 "Damnit"
Black Sabbath "Iron Man"
Ozzy Osbourne "Crazy Train"

and pretty much every nirvana and 70s punk song you can find is simple enough. Theres a poster that lists every chord i suggest getting that and practicing each chord.

EDIT: damnit beat me to it :P and yes it is hard as hell to learn, and it takes practice.

yeah the first song i learnt was teen spirit. power chords are easy to learn and fun as hell to use. i would also suggest using your pinky ALOT when forming chords and power chords. i know people who have regretted not working there pinky more and now there chords are alot harder to form.

It's kind of like weighttraining in a way.........You're weak now, but the more you successfully accomplish each level, the stronger you get!!!Jam alot, man and don't ever give up on trying to play something that you like...
...The reason everybody tells you to start out simple is because it's fun and much more easier than playing amazing solos right off the bat!!!Plus your fingers need alot of training to develop the natural feel of a fretboard and, therefore, easily slide across the fretboard when needed.
The tip on starting simple is one of the best you should realize!!!:band: Just imagine someone that could benchpress only 250 lbs.Well, he keeps on training and soon benchpresses 275 lbs. advancing later on to 290, 300, 310, 320, etc...It takes time to be the "man", ya know?
The mentions of crazy train, etc...are good simple riffs to learn, just don't try any of randy rhoads or tony iommi's solo's yet, ya hear?
If you're in tune, crazy train is pretty simple and you'll be starting on the A string..............I believe the main riff goes something like this:
(A string)2-2 2 2 2 5-4-5 5-4-0
4 5 4 2 2
Yes, I am mainly a drummer, but I've also played guitar before and recommend trying out riffs like that because they are somewhat simple!!!
Here's another one (E String) that you'd wanna try:
"Come As You Are"-Nirvana.

(E String)0-0-1-2 2 2-2-1-0 0-0 0-1-2
0 0 2 2

Give it a shot, man!!!Happy NewYear, cheers!!!:beer:

Well, they came out fukked up, but you should learn quickly and know how to play them soon, peace!!!

Play every day. Seriously.

Take ten minutes out of your day. Learn G. Learn D. Learn how to go from G to D. Then start with C, Am, Em. Your fingers might hurt until you develop callouses but they will come quickly if you work at it. Playing guitar is simple, just work at it slowly and learn one thing at a time.

The first three chords I learned, which you can use to play lots of G, C, D songs (Brown-Eyed Girl) are

G (320033)
Cadd9 (X32033) <-- much easier transition than CMaj (X32010)
D (XX0232)

Any questions, get a www.cyberfret.com account for their forums. I'll be over there. :D

After reading this I feel my hopes soar. I bought an acoustic because I really wanted to learn to play and didn't think on how hard it would actually be. But now i'm thinking that if I take time out every day and get that chord poster, I might have a chance to learn it well. =)

That is great man (if you are a girl then put girl, I'm very bad at telling sexuality over the internet). Just stick with it and never stop yourself from trying. Oh and don't be limited to one genre or style of playing, you can learn so much from other styles. And I have yet to hear a blues/metal/jazz guitarist.

Like the other guys said. Since you got an acoustic, I'd reccomend working on your chords. also, like before mentioned, use your pinkie. A lot of new players that have real promise run into a roadblock down the road, because thay hate using their pinkie so much. But mainly, I'd reccomend that you get comfortable with a pick, or with your thumb, fingernail, ect. if you don't have a pick/don't want to use one. Anyway, get it under control, work on your touch, hitting the right strings, fingering the right strings on the right frets, and don't worry about speed this early, that's how you get in a hole.

Great! I have found the pinky easier to use while practicing, too. It's nice so it won't hit the other strings. :) and... I am a girl xD

Here are a few good riffs/songs:

1."Smells Like Teen Spirit"-Nirvana.

2."Come As You Are"-Nirvana.

3."Enter Sandman"-Metallica.

4."Paranoid"-Black Sabbath.

5."Crazy Train"-Ozzy Osbourne.

6."Back In Black"-AC/DC.

7."Hell's Bells"-AC/DC.

8."Ironman"-Black Sabbath.

Just play/study for a pretty good amount of time every day!!!Honestly, a weightlifter doesn't build his muscle doing only one set of reps, he does maybe 10 or more, so, as harsh as it may sound, don't be a chicken sh it, ya know?:D









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thats by metallica.

I know the song is by Metallica, but I admit the mistake...I just started typing a few Nirvana songs and I guess I just got used to writing Nirvana's name even after Metallica's simple song!!!:rolleyes:

No problem anymore, though!!!:D :clap:

By the way, would this make it better?

"Smells Like Teen Spirit"-Metallica.:rolleyes: :rofl: